IN BRIEF (Page 2)

Technology

Top leaders visit 'Silicon Valley'

China's top leadership held a group study in a Beijing technology hub known as China's Silicon Valley, the first time such a meeting has been held outside the central authority's seat at Zhongnanhai in Beijing.

Analysts said the move signaled the top leadership's determination to keep in close contact with the public and seek innovation-driven development.

On Oct 2, members of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee visited the Zhongguancun Science Park, which after 20 years of development boasts about 20,000 hi-tech companies.

Led by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, the Political Bureau members viewed world-class innovative products at Zhongguancun, northwest of Beijing.

They talked with executives and scientists about research and implementation of new technologies such as additive manufacturing, cloud computing, nano materials, bio-chips and precise crop breeding.

Commerce

China and South Korea push on with trade talks

Beijing and Seoul have pledged to continue with free trade negotiations to upgrade cooperation, as President Xi Jinping met the Republic of Korea President Park Geun-hye on the sidelines of the APEC gathering in Bali.

"Establishing a free trade area between China and the ROK is the most important issue in current Beijing-Seoul economic ties," Xi said.

"China hopes that both countries can actively advance the negotiation process and reach a high-level free trade agreement that guarantees the general balance of mutual interest as soon as possible."

China is ROK's largest trading partner, its largest market for exports and its largest source of imports and investment, while the ROK is China's third-largest trading partner. Bilateral trade was worth more than $250 billion last year, compared with only about $6 billion in 1992, when China and the ROK established diplomatic ties.

Environment

Network to monitor impact of smog

China will build a nationwide network within three to five years to monitor the impact of air pollution on health, a step to deal with a persistent smog crisis in big cities, an official said.

A total of 43 monitoring spots will be set up in 16 provinces and municipalities frequently engulfed by smog so as to facilitate research on air pollutants in different re-gions, the impact on the health of vulnerable groups and the study of related diseases, said Xu Dongqun, an official with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Thick and hazardous smog has hit 17 provinces and municipalities in which almost half of China's people live. Beijing was shrouded in smog for several days during the week long National Day holiday.

Health

Affliction of the aged begins to stalk young

Dementia, a condition normally associated with old age, is increasingly affecting younger people in China, studies by Chinese doctors have found.

Dementia is a serious brain disorder that interferes with thinking, memory and the performance of daily activities.

According to the studies, the number of people suffering from dementia in China has more than doubled in the past two decades, and the average age of sufferers has dropped by 10 years. The studies show the average age of people with dementia dropping from 65 to 55 over the same period.

Figures for 1990 showed 3.68 million people suffering from the condition in China, while the figure for 2010 stood at more than 9 million, according to a study published in the British medical journal The Lancet.

Experts behind the research said dementia in younger people has its roots in pressure and unhealthy lifestyles, including bad eating and drinking habits.

Diplomacy

China urges US to prevent debt default

China has urged the United States to take concrete measures before Oct 17 to avoid defaulting on its government bonds and ensure the safety of Chinese investments in the US.

"The US is the world's biggest economy and a major country issuing reserve currency," China's Vice-Minister of Finance Zhu Guangyao said. "Safeguarding the debt is of vital importance to the economy of the US and the world. This is the US' responsibility."

China hopes the US will address the challenges facing its economy, solve disputes over the debt ceiling and keep recovery in the US and the world going, he said.

The world's two biggest economies, China and the US, maintain close economic ties, and China is naturally concerned about the deadlock of the US fiscal situation and wants the US to ensure the safety of China's investment in the country, he said.

Investment bank aims to reinforce ties

President Xi Jinping says China will set up an Asian investment bank to facilitate regional connectivity. He made the pledge as he visited the Southeast Asian region.

The bank will provide capital support to infrastructure construction in regional developing countries, including Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries, Xi said.

It is the first time that China has proposed such an Asian investment bank to aid regional connectivity.

The bank will work with existing multilateral development banks within or outside the region, complementing each other and ensuring the sustained stability of development of the Asian economy, Xi said.

In a meeting between Xi and his Indonesian counterpart Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Oct 2 they signed a trade plan for the next five years and agreed to upgrade their cooperation to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership.

Tourism

Holiday chaos brings call for cap on visitors

After chaotic scenes at some of China's top attractions during the recent National Day holiday period, the country's top tourism industry authority has called for measures to cap visitor numbers.

The National Tourism Administration made the call after tens of thousands of tourists were stranded for hours at Jiuzhaigou Valley in Sichuan province on October 2.

Police were sent to the park to calm the situation as angry tourists forced shuttle buses to stop after they failed to get on, causing hours of delays.

The administration said surging numbers of visitors at most attractions required better service and management by local governments.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 10/11/2013 page2)